The new bicycle boom in Cuba
Published in El Pais
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In an energy crisis that many liken to the Special Period of the 1990s, which followed the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cubans are rediscovering the bicycle as an alternative form of transportation.
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1989, Cuba entered an unprecedented crisis that Fidel Castro dubbed “the Special Period.” The island’s energy, trade and financial dependence on the recently-dissolved socialist bloc resulted in shortages of fuel, food, and raw materials, as well as a GDP drop of more than 40% in just three years.
Today, many who remember the 1990s in Cuba find parallels with the current crisis, which has worsened since the United States took control of Venezuela, the island’s main fuel supplier.
One phrase — “there’s no oil” — affects every aspect of daily life for Cubans. The fuel shortages have resulted in blackouts, reduced access to basic necessities and, of course, limited transportation. The streets of Havana are now almost empty of buses and cars, except for a handful of colorful vintage American convertibles that ferry around the few tourists who still venture to visit the island.
What you do see, and with increasing frequency, are electric motorcycles, scooters, and rickshaws, in addition to bicycles.
Published in El Pais
In an energy crisis that many liken to the Special Period of the 1990s, which followed the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cubans are rediscovering the bicycle as an alternative form of transportation.
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1989, Cuba entered an unprecedented crisis that Fidel Castro dubbed “the Special Period.” The island’s energy, trade and financial dependence on the recently-dissolved socialist bloc resulted in shortages of fuel, food, and raw materials, as well as a GDP drop of more than 40% in just three years.
Today, many who remember the 1990s in Cuba find parallels with the current crisis, which has worsened since the United States took control of Venezuela, the island’s main fuel supplier.
One phrase — “there’s no oil” — affects every aspect of daily life for Cubans. The fuel shortages have resulted in blackouts, reduced access to basic necessities and, of course, limited transportation. The streets of Havana are now almost empty of buses and cars, except for a handful of colorful vintage American convertibles that ferry around the few tourists who still venture to visit the island.
What you do see, and with increasing frequency, are electric motorcycles, scooters, and rickshaws, in addition to bicycles.
[spanish]